A/N: I'm happy today. :D VERY happy more like it. What better way to help me stay happy but write fanfiction?

There was some confusion over the last chapter. No, Inu and Kag are not going to make out, and NO, this is no the last chapter. I said there would be thirty chapters in the beginning, did I not? This one just breaks the monotony of angst-filled chapters by a little bit.

Chapter 7: Scars That Will Not Heal

"Jeez, Inuyasha. Can't you have one fight where you don't end up with a hole through your stomach?" Kagome said, unamused, while pulling medical supplies out of her yellow backpack.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha muttered plunking down on the floor of the old hut, crossing his arms, with a sour look on his face. Earlier in the day, they had come across a surprisingly strong bear youkai. As usual, Inuyasha didn't want to have to waste his energy with Tessaiga on it, and decided to try to beat it with his bare hands.

He failed.

Despite Kagome's pleadings of him to use his sword, he continued to fight, until the bear youkai had ripped yet another hole in his stomach. It was only then that Inuyasha pulled out his sword, and in one blast of "Kongousouha!" it was over.

Thankfully, they found a hut nearby where Kagome could patch Inuyasha up, though he believed he didn't need it. "Kagome, I've been through worse wounds before. I don't understand why I need to have this one fixed to." He protested, glancing back at her while she pulled out a few more bandages.

"This is much more serious than you think!" she snapped, opening her fist aid kit and grabbing the anti-septic. "If you don't get that hole wrapped up quick—"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes; he had heard it all before. "I know, Kagome. Trust me, its fine. It doesn't even hurt anymore."

She wasn't to be diverted. "I'm not going to let yougo around with a hole through your stomach!" Kagome sat behind him. "Come on, I have to see if it came all the way through on your back. Take your shirt off."

That caused the hanyou to tense up. After a slight pause, he said, "No."

He heard Kagome's voice lower in annoyance at him. "Inuyasha, I can't fix your wound unless you take your haori and shirt off. Now do it."

"No!" he repeated, much more annoyed.

"You're so stubborn!" Kagome yelled, grabbing at his haori and pulling it down, before a clawed hand grabbed hers.

Inuyasha turned around sharply, yelling, "Kagome, when I say no, I mean—" He stopped when he saw the look on Kagome's face. Her brown eyes had opened fully in shock, her mouth slightly open in horror. In her eyes…there was that look again, that tragic, sad, and fearful gleam that had only been forgotten in their small argument.

He looked down to see his haori and white undershirt pulled down, revealing his upper arm. On his arm, there was a hand sized pink scar, which seemed to spike out at the edges, as if something had blasted him.

Inuyasha sighed, turning away from her. He lowered the rest of shirt, his hair being swept to the side, exposing his back, which thankfully, bore no hole of his injury. Kagome saw another scar on his other arm, an exact replica of the first. "That's what I didn't want you to see." he whispered, his amber eyes lowering in inner pain. "Usually things like this heal on me, but…" He was unable to continue, knowing the torment it was causing the girl behind him.

As Kagome stared at the scars, her face set in terror, unwanted memories flooded her brain. In their small fight, all her inner pain had been forgotten, and for a second, things had seemed just like old times, since she had been worried about him. But she couldn't keep the agony away forever.


Without wasting anytime, he moved in for a passionate kiss. Giving a gasp, Kagome returned it, snaking her bare arms around his neck, bringing them closer. The kiss raged on, becoming deeper, more passionate, and lustful. For both of them, this was heaven, being held and kissed in the arms of their beloved. Inuyasha pulled back, both of them gasping from the intensity of their passions.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered, finally able to say it. "I love you."…


Before Kagome's eyes, her lover transformed into what she had seen for so long, the red eyes with blue pupils, the purple stripes, the long claws and fangs. Tears once again adorned her eyes.

As he raised his claws, Kagome looked up at him, his crimson eyes holding no warmpth, her brown eyes flowing tears. "Inuyasha…"

She was cut off as she screamed in pain as Inuyasha's claws dug long, deep gouges into her back. The pain was so intense that she didn't hear the cries of her friends; she only knew the pain, and the blackness that overcame her. She felt herself falling down, down…


Her eyes were unable to stem the flow of tears, her heart felt as if it was ripped out of her chest, her hands were unable to stop shaking as she came closer to a confused youkai Inuyasha. Kagome slowly, almost unwillingly, grabbed hold of his arms, drawing her closer into his embrace, one last time.

Kagome started shaking, knowing what she had to do. But she hesitated, just wanting to remember being in his arms once more. She reached up on her toes, whispering to Inuyasha, her heart breaking as she spoke, "Inuyasha, I love you…" More tears erupted from her eyes as she squeezed them shut, "I'm sorry…"

She pressed her lips against his, forcefully, hungrily, wanting that love once more.. A tear transferred from her cheek to his as Kagome kissed him, feeling sadder than she ever had been in her life.

There was a flash of pink light, and Kagome saw Inuyasha, the man she loved, fall slowly to the ground, his white hair fluttering behind him, and land gently on the ground, lifeless.

"Inuyasha!" she screamed, falling into despair. The dagger was falling, falling…until it plunged itself into her chest—


Suddenly, Inuyasha felt her arms wrap around his waist, her head resting on his back. Shocked, he stuttered, "K-Kagome?"

The sudden movement had also surprised Kagome. She hadn't intended to do that, but after what Sango had said, after the pain had come, not letting her go, she needed his comfort. "Does it hurt, Inuyasha?" she asked in a small voice.

That question surprised him, he turned around, Kagome releasing him and looking ujp into his eyes, the tragic look outlined by tears. "What do you mean, Kagome?"

She looked down, obvious to Inuyasha that she was holding back tears. Her hands were curled into fists, her body beginning to shake as she said in a watery voice. "I…I know it hurt when…it happened, but…does it hurt now?"

"Kagome…" he murmured, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to his chest, forgetting about the slight pain from his wound. All that mattered was Kagome was letting him comfort her, and he wasn't going to let that go to waste. He held her close, her head resting under his chin, his fingers running through her dark hair, while tears spilled from her eyes. "No Kagome," he told her softly. "It doesn't hurt."

Kagome gave a sniffle, all her fear and anxiety pouring out in tears that rolled off her cheeks, falling on Inuyasha's chest. "That's good." She whimpered, speaking against her sobs. "I'm glad it doesn't hurt…I never wanted…"

"Kagome," Inuyasha held her tighter, as if he was afraid she would leave him if he didn't secure her within his embrace. Her scent, so beautiful and calming, wrapped around his nose as he held her, as memories of all the times he held her popped up in his mind. Kagome was back in his arms again; she wanted him to help her; she knew she needed him. "I don't blame you for what happened Kagome." he assured her, speaking softly. "It wasn't your fault."

Nodding slightly, Kagome looked back up at him, her tragic eyes outlined in tears and slightly red from crying. Her face looked so sad, all sunshine gone from her face. "I know Inuyasha." Her eyes glimpsed the pink scars on his arms, and then she shut them tightly, her body trembling in fear. "I'm just…I'm so afraid it might happen again, Inuyasha. I don't want to—"

The image floated into her mind again. The sinister pink light flashed blindingly in her mind, along with a cry of pain. Inuyasha slowly fell on the ground, landing hard with his right hand outstretched towards her, lifeless. Her voice screamed in terror, "Inuyasha!"

Gasping in inner turmoil, Kagome fell back into Inuyasha's arms, still shaking against the painful memories. Though she could barely stand reliving those memories, the force of the spikes plunging into her heart lessened, because Inuyasha was holding her in his arms, making her feel safe once again.

"I know, Kagome." whispered Inuyasha. "I know…I'm afraid too." He tightened his arm around her waist, the other around her shoulders as he held her to his chest. "I'm scared that I might hurt you again. If you got hurt, because of me…I don't know what I'd do."

His voice…the comforting words floated into Kagome's mind, making her tears lessen. This was one reason why she had originally fallen in love with him. Though he didn't always say the same thing, he knew how to comfort her when she was scared. Inuyasha knew how to make her feel safe, protecting her from the harsh realities of the world. Kagome felt her heart, weighed down by her fear, start to rise slightly, her pain lessening.

"Inuyasha…" she whispered, her arms wrapping around his chest to pull herself closer into his protective hold.

"Kagome, I swore to you that I'd never leave you again, do you remember?" he asked, his voice only filled with tenderness. "I'll always protect you, no matter what happens. I promise, I'll never become a youkai again. My place is here, with you, keeping you safe."

Those were the kindest words he had ever said to her, and Kagome couldn't help but feel a tiny happiness light within her. Before she had known he loved her, she had always imagined this. All she had ever wanted from his love was to be here, in his arms, with Inuyasha promising to always keep her safe.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome looked up at him, her dark eyes empty of all her tears. Her face had no more the look of anguish, sadness, or fear. It only held one look, a look that was in his amber eyes and on his face as well, longing

That look from her was enough to make Inuyasha's heart rise in his chest. Gone was the tragic gleam from her eyes which haunted him night and day, now she looked back at him, with love twinkling in her eyes. Was it possible that his Kagome had come back to him, after so long?

"Kagome…" he whispered her name, while his right hand slowly reached out towards her, gently cupping her cheek, and bringing her face closer to him. Surprisingly, Kagome didn't pull away as he expected her to. She was letting him touch her, her eyes still set in longing.

Oh, how much he loved her! Inuyasha wanted to be her pillar of strength; he wanted to melt the ice that had grown around her heart in the past few months. He wanted to heal the scars on her heart, wanting her to never feel afraid again. He wanted to make her smile, and to hear her beautiful laugh once more. If she would just laugh again, then he would be able to forget his own memories…and everything would be as it should be.

"Kagome…" he murmured, once more, coming closer to her, not sure of what he was planning to do, but suddenly, Kagome turned sharply away, out of his embrace, with a small gasp. He couldn't see her eyes, since she lowered her head and her bangs fell forward. "Kagome?" he asked, reaching out towards her.

She turned to look back at him, the sad look once more in place, causing the silver haired hanyou's hopes to crash once more. "Inuyasha," she said, softly. "I need to bandage your wound. I've left it alone for long enough."

Sighing in defeat as she turned back to her medical supplies, Inuyasha slumped back. Now he knew his limits. Kagome knew she needed him, but she wasn't ready to know that he still loved her yet. What was she so afraid of? It wasn't like he was going to ask her to do what she feared, and he had told her so several times. Why did she keep pulling away, when he was only trying to bring a smile back to her face?

Kagome turned back and began putting his bandages on, her hand never wavering as she cleaned his wounds, yet she was unusually silent, causing the hanyou's ears to droop. But just before she had finished, she looked away from him, and said softly in an almost inaudible whisper, "Thank you, Inuyasha."

After a moment of surprise, this caused a small smile to come upon the hanyou's face, knowing the truth. She's not back to the way I want her to be, but, there's hope.


Miles away, shut up in a dark castle, Naraku chuckled to himself as he watched the former lovers, whom it was plainly obvious still held deep feelings for one another, despite the pain they had been through.

"Soon, my plan will be complete, Inuyasha." Naraku said to the image of the lovers in Kanna's mirror, his voice never wavering from its sickly smooth tone. "And it will be your own folly which will lead you to the end."


A/N: Ooh…creepy. What's Naraku gonna do? If you have any theories, I love to hear them, and I of course offer rewards to the ones who guess right. (Usually a kiss from one of the characters, but that's still good, right?)

This is the end of Part I, and I think you guys will like Part II better. Three guesses why. So, keep up those encouraging reviews (They brighten up my day:D) and I'll see you at the next chapter!